Jewish Celebrities

CORAL GABLES (CBSMiami) – Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a South Florida stop Thursday in support of her new book, No Higher Honor.

Rice spoke at the University of Miami, getting rousing applause when she used her hands to throw up the iconic “U” sign.

Rice told CBS4 News anchor Antonio Mora that she has some regrets from her time in the Bush Administration.

“I would certainly do some things differently in the aftermath of the war on Iraq, probably try to build Iraq from the outside in rather than the inside out,” said Rice. “We didn’t really take advantage of the provincial leadership.”

Rice also thinks the country waited too long to reform immigration.

“That was one of the costs of 9/11,” said Rice. “Immediately after 9/11 our attention obviously shifted and by the time we turned our attention to the issue it was too late.”

When asked about the United States’ relationship with Cuba, Rice told Mora is was nearly impossible.

“My general sense is that we probably need to stay in a position of pressure on the Cuban Government,” said Rice. “On balance, I do not see any value in engaging with the Castro regime.”

Since leaving the White House, Rice has not returned to politics. Instead, she returned to the world of academia as a political science professor at Stanford University.